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Mr. Kaplan is the recipient of the 2015 Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics T.E. Rine Award for Excellence in Secondary Mathematics Teaching. This award honors one high school math teacher each year for prolonged effective service in the classroom and contributions to the advancement of mathematics education. He has over 30 successful years experience as a high school math educator, school leader, curriculum developer, and speaker.

 

Mr. Kaplan most recently taught Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Trigonometry, and AB Calculus for 18 years at Evanston Township High School. In 2006, Mr. Kaplan was selected by Evanston Township High School teachers for the Teacher Excellence Award. In 2008, he received the State of Illinois “Those Who Excel Award”. This award honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the state’s schools. In that same year, Mr. Kaplan again received the Evanston Township High School Teacher of the Year award. He was the leader of the Evanston Township High School’s Peer Observation initiative.

 

Prior to his position at Evanston Township High School, Mr. Kaplan taught and was the Math Department Chair at Lake View High School in Chicago Public Schools, where he coordinated math curriculum and supported teachers in professional development. He created programs that resulted in increasing to 40% the number of seniors taking AP Calculus. While at Evanston Township High School, he initiated the Teachers Supporting Students of Color program, which was a multi-racial group of teachers who led professional development designed to empower teachers to improve the achievement of African American and Latino students. Mr. Kaplan also served as a teacher facilitator for African American Quest, a group of academically successful African American students who mentored 8th grade African American students. While at Lake View High School, he developed and implemented the Freshman Curriculum Project, where teachers worked together to teach an interdisciplinary curriculum in Math, Biology, English, and History to effectively build peer support for academic success. Mr. Kaplan also served on the Professional Problems Advisory Committee (PPAC), a joint administration/teacher committee whose role was to address educational issues and improve the school.

 

Nominated multiple times for the Golden Apple Teaching Award, Mr. Kaplan’s impressive background extends beyond a high school educator. He participated in the College Preparatory Math Program (CPMP), a University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) program that helped develop closely-knit teams of math teachers who created equity programs and trained teachers in cooperative learning instructional practices. Also at UIC, Mr. Kaplan taught Mathematics for Elementary Teachers and Business Calculus classes. He also was a guest lecturer in Graduate Teacher Education and Sociology of Education classes at National-Louis University, DePaul University, and Governor’s State University. Mr. Kaplan also served as a member of a Mathematics Vertical College Board Development Committee for a College Board Publication. He co-authored an Assignment Guide for McDougal-Littell’s Algebra I, An Integrated Approach.

 

A frequent speaker at Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Metropolitan Mathematics Committee, DePaul Nepantia, and Oakton Community College STEM Equity conferences, Mr. Kaplan uses his impressive background to coach math teachers to increase instructional performance. He believes that educators have a wonderful opportunity to changes students’ lives and teach students that with hard work, they all have the capacity to be successful.

 

Mr. Kaplan has a MST in Mathematics from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Certificate in Educational Leadership from National-Louis University. He lives in Chicago with his wife, has an adult daughter, and loves to bike ride. Mr. Kaplan has been a Pear Math Coach since 2016.